All Spartanburg County school districts will remain closed Thursday

Winter trouble

A crew works to repair a utility pole after a vehicle slid off the road hitting the pole on Wed. Jan. 29, 2014 on the Chesnee Highway near the intersection of Oaktree Road. The car slid off the road due to icy conditions, no one was hurt and no other vehicles were involved, said Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright. The Spartanburg Sheriff's Office responded to the accident; the department has been helping relieve the S.C. Highway Patrol and have responded to between 65-70 accidents due to the weather by Wednesday afternoon, said Wright.

Published: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 6:27 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 6:27 p.m.

Spartanburg County's wintry Wednesday carried into Thursday as the snowstorm forced schools to close for a second consecutive day this week.

Initial forecasts called for two inches to the Spartanburg area, but the National Weather Service recorded about an inch of snow accumulation in most parts around the county beginning Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday.

The weather service issued a winter weather advisory that remained in effect from Tuesday afternoon through 9 a.m. Wednesday and another advisory remained active from 6 p.m. Wednesday to noon Thursday.

Meteorologist Doug Outlaw said low pressure developed along the North Carolina coast, causing moisture to pull away from the Upstate and decrease precipitation rapidly.

Still, Outlaw said on Wednesday that any moisture left on the ground will freeze and create slippery roads Thursday, particularly in shaded areas that did not get much sunlight Wednesday.

Forecasts called for a low of 14 degrees Wednesday night, Outlaw said.

All Spartanburg school districts will be closed Thursday.

Cherokee County Schools also will be closed Thursday and Union County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay schedule.

Spartanburg District 7 Superintendent Russell Booker said a winter weather advisory until noon Thursday gave district leaders a "pause for concern."

Superintendents grappled with a two-hour delay, but ultimately decided on closing schools for a second consecutive day, he said.

Temperatures are expected to be well-below freezing, and while most main roads are fine, many secondary roads are still dealing with black ice, Booker said.

In a statement, Spartanburg School District 1 Superintendent Ron Garner said, "Patches of black ice are probable due to the melting and refreezing overnight. Many secondary roads throughout the county remain snow covered and will refreeze during the overnight hours. Travel conditions could remain extremely dangerous through noon (Thursday). We believe that the safety of our students, staff, and parents makes this decision necessary."

City of Spartanburg Street Maintenance Manager Tony McAbee said Wednesday early preparation and round-the-clock road treatment and maintenance have helped keep city streets passable.

McAbee urged motorists to stay off the roads because icy spots will remain for some time.

City crews started mounting snow plows Monday and began treating roads with brine Monday night. Crews worked overnight Tuesday and will continue to rotate in 12-hour shifts until conditions significantly improve, McAbee said.

"I think since school has been cancelled, a lot of people are staying off the roads," he said.

Crews will spread sand again Wednesday in advance of freezing temperatures overnight.

Cherokee County transportation officials are urging motorists to remain cautious, particularly early Thursday.

"It will get better as the day goes, but drivers should be careful and if you can wait until daylight to drive, that would be best," Ellis said.

Even if a stretch of roadway seems clear, an icy patch in a curve can be dangerous, Ellis said.

Spartanburg County Roads and Bridges Manager Johnny Raven said 40 crew members managed the county's 1,700 miles of roads Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We kept trucks rolling all night and all day today (Wednesday)," he said.

Road crews were taken off continuous 12-hour shifts and placed on on-call status to only respond to roadways for emergencies Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Raven said.

Schools and many government offices remained closed Wednesday because of icy roads.

Spartanburg County offices were closed, as were county libraries. Spartanburg City Hall was open for business.

The University of South Carolina Upstate's Spartanburg and Greenville campuses were closed Wednesday. Spartanburg Community College was closed, as well.

According to the S.C. Department of Transportation, road surface temperatures in the area remained between 22 and 28 degrees Wednesday morning, and workers were focusing on clearing both primary and secondary roads. The interstates were in fair to good condition.

As of noon Wednesday, the SCDOT had nearly 1,500 workers actively involved in road operations, dispensing about 12,000 tons of salt, 3,500 tons of sand and 728,500 gallons of salt brine. The agency had nearly 700 pieces of equipment in use statewide.

The city of Spartanburg's solid waste division did not pick up residential garbage on Wednesday, saying "icy conditions persisting in residential neighborhoods makes it too risky" to have trucks and crews on the roads, according to a statement from the city. Residents who normally have their garbage collected on Wednesday will have it collected Thursday. Thursday collection will take place on Friday, and Friday collection will take place on Saturday.

<p>Spartanburg County's wintry Wednesday carried into Thursday as the snowstorm forced schools to close for a second consecutive day this week.</p><p>Initial forecasts called for two inches to the Spartanburg area, but the National Weather Service recorded about an inch of snow accumulation in most parts around the county beginning Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday.</p><p>The weather service issued a winter weather advisory that remained in effect from Tuesday afternoon through 9 a.m. Wednesday and another advisory remained active from 6 p.m. Wednesday to noon Thursday.</p><p>Meteorologist Doug Outlaw said low pressure developed along the North Carolina coast, causing moisture to pull away from the Upstate and decrease precipitation rapidly.</p><p>Still, Outlaw said on Wednesday that any moisture left on the ground will freeze and create slippery roads Thursday, particularly in shaded areas that did not get much sunlight Wednesday.</p><p>Forecasts called for a low of 14 degrees Wednesday night, Outlaw said.</p><p>All Spartanburg school districts will be closed Thursday.</p><p>Cherokee County Schools also will be closed Thursday and Union County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay schedule.</p><p>Spartanburg District 7 Superintendent Russell Booker said a winter weather advisory until noon Thursday gave district leaders a "pause for concern."</p><p>Superintendents grappled with a two-hour delay, but ultimately decided on closing schools for a second consecutive day, he said.</p><p>Temperatures are expected to be well-below freezing, and while most main roads are fine, many secondary roads are still dealing with black ice, Booker said.</p><p>In a statement, Spartanburg School District 1 Superintendent Ron Garner said, "Patches of black ice are probable due to the melting and refreezing overnight. Many secondary roads throughout the county remain snow covered and will refreeze during the overnight hours. Travel conditions could remain extremely dangerous through noon (Thursday). We believe that the safety of our students, staff, and parents makes this decision necessary."</p><p>City of Spartanburg Street Maintenance Manager Tony McAbee said Wednesday early preparation and round-the-clock road treatment and maintenance have helped keep city streets passable.</p><p>McAbee urged motorists to stay off the roads because icy spots will remain for some time.</p><p>City crews started mounting snow plows Monday and began treating roads with brine Monday night. Crews worked overnight Tuesday and will continue to rotate in 12-hour shifts until conditions significantly improve, McAbee said.</p><p>"I think since school has been cancelled, a lot of people are staying off the roads," he said.</p><p>Crews will spread sand again Wednesday in advance of freezing temperatures overnight.</p><p>Cherokee County transportation officials are urging motorists to remain cautious, particularly early Thursday.</p><p>S.C. Department of Transportation resident maintenance engineer Stephen Ellis said wet patches are expected to refreeze Wednesday night so icy patches will resurface.</p><p>"It will get better as the day goes, but drivers should be careful and if you can wait until daylight to drive, that would be best," Ellis said.</p><p>Even if a stretch of roadway seems clear, an icy patch in a curve can be dangerous, Ellis said.</p><p>Spartanburg County Roads and Bridges Manager Johnny Raven said 40 crew members managed the county's 1,700 miles of roads Tuesday and Wednesday. </p><p>"We kept trucks rolling all night and all day today (Wednesday)," he said.</p><p>Road crews were taken off continuous 12-hour shifts and placed on on-call status to only respond to roadways for emergencies Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Raven said.</p><p>Schools and many government offices remained closed Wednesday because of icy roads.</p><p>Spartanburg County offices were closed, as were county libraries. Spartanburg City Hall was open for business.</p><p>The University of South Carolina Upstate's Spartanburg and Greenville campuses were closed Wednesday. Spartanburg Community College was closed, as well.</p><p>According to the S.C. Department of Transportation, road surface temperatures in the area remained between 22 and 28 degrees Wednesday morning, and workers were focusing on clearing both primary and secondary roads. The interstates were in fair to good condition.</p><p>As of noon Wednesday, the SCDOT had nearly 1,500 workers actively involved in road operations, dispensing about 12,000 tons of salt, 3,500 tons of sand and 728,500 gallons of salt brine. The agency had nearly 700 pieces of equipment in use statewide.</p><p>The city of Spartanburg's solid waste division did not pick up residential garbage on Wednesday, saying "icy conditions persisting in residential neighborhoods makes it too risky" to have trucks and crews on the roads, according to a statement from the city. Residents who normally have their garbage collected on Wednesday will have it collected Thursday. Thursday collection will take place on Friday, and Friday collection will take place on Saturday.</p><p>- Staff writers Lynne P. Shackleford and Zach Fox contributed to this report.</p>